Asylum and Oblivion
by Starlawolf
Summary: Just when the Earl Phantomhive thought he could finally have some peace and quiet, he is immediately called to a new case. Two young children claim to have been attacked by a "phantom doll". And yet worse, people who have been confirmed dead are now returning alive and healthy. The adventure of 7 reapers, a demon, those who returned from death, and a guard dog. Who can Ciel trust?
1. Prologue

**~Prologue~**

 _The Midnight Attack_

* * *

"C'mon sis, the door's unlocked!"

"But Felix, didn't you see the sign? That place is off limits!"

"Aww, what're you afraid of? Someone's gonna catch us sneakin' around? We're not gonna steal anything!"

It was a bright, cloudless night with a huge yellow full moon casting tall shadows on the buildings of London below. Two young children around the age of 9 and 10 had discovered the entrance to an old castle, their clothes were dirty and tattered, giving away their low status in society. The castle towers loomed menacingly from beyond the small wooden doors. A sign hanging from one that clearly read _"PRIVATE PROPERTY. DO NOT ENTER."_

The girl whimpered as a shiver went up her spine, something about the place was unsettling and she could not force her feet to take a single step further. Her brother noticed this and walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a reassuring smile.

"It'll be OK Lucy, there's no one here but us."

He was convincing himself more than her, for they could not be sure if anyone was watching. Lucy had always been cautious like that, so he couldn't blame her for freezing on the spot. Swallowing his rising fear, Felix guided his younger sister to the doors, gripping the cold metal handle. With a loud "click" that seemed to echo off the walls of the buildings around them, the door opened slightly, allowing the two siblings to enter.

As they walked through the courtyard, Lucy seemed to jump at every little sound, hugging her brother at the sight of the weird-shaped shadows on the castle walls. Felix held his breath to calm his speeding heartbeat. He had to be strong for his sister..

Through the overgrown vines and shrubs, the main entrance into the castle itself was barely visible.

"A-are you sure t-that this is s-someone's property? I-it looks l-like it's been abandoned f-for a long t-time.." Lucy's voice shook.

Felix tried his best to lighten the mood. "H-hey, look on the bright side, at least there aren't any gravestones in the front.. Ha.. ha.."

"T-this ain't H-Hallows Eve, F-Felix!" Lucy stammered out.

Felix laughed for real this time. Gaining a boost of confidence, he reached out for the door latch. Just before his fingertips could touch it though, a strong gust of wind picked up from out of no where on what had just been a clear and still night.

The wind was not the thing that instilled terror into the twins however, it was the voice that carried with it. A whispering calm tone that seemed to float along with the winds.

 _"I wouldn't touch that if I were you.."_ It hissed.

The two children, frozen in fright, refusing to answer, which only made the voice in the winds laugh. _"Could you read the sign?"_

Felix nodded his head rapidly.

 _"And do you know what I do to the ones who only act for their own gain and don't stop to think about others?"_

This time he shook his head.

..silence..

The wind stopped and time seemed to slow long enough for Felix to spot the gleaming flash of metal in the moonlight and he pushed his sister out of the way just in time. Blood spattered, staining the grass as the sharp blade cut into his left eye. His vision was obscured by red and he could hear his sister's scream before he felt her hand grasp his arm and pull him out of the way as he felt the wind of a swinging blade whisk past his cheek. Lucy held on to his arm to guide him as they ran back through the courtyard, it didn't seem like whatever it was had decided they were worth pursuing since he couldn't hear any footsteps behind them.

They burst through the wooden gate, slamming the doors shut. Felix sat down in order to catch his breath, leaning against the door for support. When his vision began to clear, he spotted Lucy curled up on the pavement out of the corner of his good eye, she was shivering and her eyes were wide in shock.

"Lucy!" He exclaimed. He ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, causing her to look at his bloodied face with wide owl-ish eyes. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"

Her voice was barley a whisper.

"I sa _w-_..."

"Saw what?!" He shook her.

".. Sa _w. . .ph_ anto _m. .. . doll. .._ " Her voice faded in and out.

"A phantom doll?" Felix asked. "What do you-"

But she had already fallen unconscious in his arms.

* * *

 _..That following morning.._

"What?!"

"Young master, I'm sorry but it is true. The queen has requested your presence again."

"Again?! I have finally arrested Blavat Sky and I believe that I deserve a break! What more does she want from me?!"

Sebastian held out the tray with the letter on it. "Please at least read what she has to say first, young master.."

"Fine."

Ciel snatched the envelope from his butler, and tore it open, eyes darting across the writing on the paper. His annoyed expression slowly turned into one of curiosity as he read about what had happened the last night.

"A phantom doll? It couldn't be..." he then turned to Sebastian. "Could I speak with the victims myself?"

"Unfortunately that is not possible, as the girl who had seen the attacker is now in a coma for quite some time and her brother refuses to speak to anyone."

Ciel brought his hand to his chin in thought before looking back up and handing Sebastian the torn envelope.

"Send her a letter back and tell her that I will gladly accept." He said. "For this case seems like a very interesting one."

Sebastian chuckled as he turned to walk out of the room. "And just a moment ago, you had wanted a break."

"Shut up, demon."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hello and welcome to my crazy Kuroshitsuji story!**

 **I have the entire story line planned out and the next 5 chapters already typed so this story here will be updated weekly without a single delay until it is finished.**

 **Feedback is appreciated, as I would like to know if I made any errors in my writing!**

 **The twins Lucy and Felix probably won't appear in the story again (and no other ocs for that matter) since I just needed two young characters to set the stage for the rest of the story**

 **Side Note: I know I already mentioned this, but this takes place after the events of the Blue Cult arc ( the most recent arc) and follows the manga and musicals only. Any characters who appeared in the anime but no where else will not be included in this fic. I try my best, but please watch out for spoilers if you are not entirely up-to-date with the manga.**

 **Enjoy this chapter for now~!**

 **-Starla**


	2. Chapter 1

**~Chapter 1~**

 _The Resurrection of Vincent Phantomhive_

* * *

 **Note: Female pronouns will be used for Grell, however I will avoid any mention of Sascha's gender**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

...

...

An echo.

..

The muffled sound of water..

..

What is this?

Vincent became aware of his thoughts, his last memory being of death.

The flames..

His home.. His family.. All burnt to ash like him.

But if he burnt to ash, then how was he-

Perhaps the reapers had forgotten to collect his soul, for how was it possible that he had any conscious right now?

Slowly, the dripping of water became louder and a smell became clearer, that of decaying wood and mold. Another drip of water fell, landing on his forehead. This seemed to bring him back into consciousness, as he sat bolt upright, suddenly aware of his physical body.

He realized that the impossible had happened.

He had awoken from death...

Squinting his eyes open, Vincent looked around only to notice that he was in a small dark room with water dripping occasionally from different points on the stone ceiling. There was an old broken pew next to him- clearly the location of the decaying wood scent- and ahead of him was a small cracked stained glass window along with a flattened table and what appeared to be decaying roses.

It occurred to him that he had awoken in a tiny chapel, which, from the looks of it, seemed like it had been abandoned for quite a while now.

Over in a dry corner lay a dusty black cloak, it was old and had plenty of bug-induced holes in it, but it would serve as a good coverage for when he went outside seeing as he had no clue what year it was.

Speaking of which, he donned the cloak, making sure to hide his face is the shadow of the fabric, and cautiously pushed open the decaying barred wooden door. The sudden light blinded him for a moment before he noticed that the small church was merely hidden in a tiny grove of trees and overgrown grass, just beyond of which he could see the tops of buildings.

London.

Once he arrived in town, he immediately asked the nearest salesman for the newspaper, for it would educate him on the date and recent events.

"'Ya got any money fer it?" The salesman raised an eyebrow and the cloaked figure before him.

"N-no Sir, in afraid I do not." It was then brought to his attention that he did not have any money left on him, since it had supposedly burned to cinders along with the Phantomhive family.

"Ya speak like a noble.. I aint seen ya 'round here before. Mind takin tha' cloak off?"

"I am sorry, but I can not, as I do not wish to draw attention to myself." That part was true, he did not want the late earl Phantomhive to be seen wandering the streets in broad daylight. That would probably freak plenty of people out.

And so, Vincent was only able to glance at the date above the headlines before the man shooed him off, glaring at him suspiciously.

3 years? Not quite as long as he expected..

Vincent continued down the street when he turned a corner, he noticed a large crowd beginning to gather in front of what seemed like an old castle. There was a properly dressed man standing by the front doors, he was clearly the doorkeeper.

Vincent spotted a woman near him and walked up to her. He asked her what was going on.

"Ah, some kinda crime scene." She said, shrugging. "Apparently some kids playing 'round on the private grounds got attacked by a so called 'phantom doll'. One of em lost an eye an' the other's stuck in a coma."

Sounded to Vincent like someone was trying to keep people of of the castle grounds by instilling fright into the locals. In his years of work, he would have been thoroughly convinced, but now.. He himself qualified as a resurrected corpse, so now he had no idea what to believe..

There was a sudden gasp from the crowd and all heads turned as a duo pushed their way to the front where the doorkeeper stood.

The taller one was a man in a black coat, dark hair fell down the sides of his face and his irises were a dark burning red. The person in front was a short boy with dark blue hair and an eye patch over one eye, he wore the obvious clothes of a noble and leaned on a walking cane that was almost as short as himself.

Could it be..?

The boy held up a letter with the seal of the Queen on it. "I request entry under order of Her Majesty, I am here to investigate the events of yesterday."

The doorkeeper raised an eyebrow.

"And what purpose do you serve here, little child? Go on, go home now, this is no place for a kid to play!" The man smiled down at the blue-haired boy.

"I am earl Ciel Phantomhive, owner of the Funtom toy company and the Phantomhive name. I am the Queen's loyal guard dog, feared and respected by all nobles." Ciel said loud enough for everyone around them to hear. "I am not a child!"

Immediately all the people froze except for the one who had first spoken, who threw his head back and laughed, only cutting himself short once the barrel of a gun dug itself into his chest.

Ciel held the gun steady, holding eye contact with the man. "You will let us pass, or I shall not hesitate to shoot you here and now, for one less drunkard on the streets would not upset the Queen."

The man grinned even wider.

"Ha! I'd rather be shot by the devil himself than a child." He exclaimed quite loudly.

Ciel smirked and passed the gun to Sebastian. "Very well then, if you wish for my butler to shoot you then please say so."

The man's eyes widened as he realized that the boy was serious. "W-what does the devil have to do with that b-butler of yours?" He got on his knees in front of the two. "Please don't shoot! I didn't mean it!"

At the moment of the man's begging, boy and butler walked past him unnoticed and entered through the doors into the castle.

Vincent blinked in confusion at his son's actions and appearance, was this really Ciel?

The man timidly opened an eyelid, and upon noticing that the duo were gone, he swore. "Damn you Lord Phantomhive! You and your dirty tricks!"

The crowd began speaking again and Vincent decided to draw his attention from the door keeper to a curious conversation between three men off to the side.

"That boy is no child.

He is close friends with death, acquaintances with a witch, and has one foot following the other into the devil's territory. He can not be swayed off of his path, for it is a dark one."

"I'd stay clear of that kid, he always seems to leave behind a reign of death and destruction wherever he goes."

"He does it all for the Queen, and for his own success, he is her loyal guard dog until the end."

"Oh that is true! For Ciel will be the last to die in all of London!" A new voice exclaimed.

The men, including Vincent looked up to see a man in a white coat sitting on the roof above them. The person had short and messy hair and round glasses perched on his nose. He looked down at the four, green eyes gleaming as he held up a book. "I have the written proof of that! Of course, you all can't know more because if you can see me you're either already dead or going to be, within the next..." He opened the book and flipped to a page, scanning it over before looking back up at them. "..10 hours!"

He looked up in the direction of the castle towers, seeming to notice something the others did not.

"Ah, I must be off now." He stood up and waved to them before seeming to vanish within the blink of an eye.

The other men laughed it off as the mysterious person being "just a weirdo" but Vincent had seen enough grim reapers during his life to know. But this one was dressed differently from the reapers Vincent knew, perhaps they were from one of the other divisions..

Glancing around at the trio of men next to him, Vincent realized that they were going to die that next morning, as the reaper had said. But what was this about Ciel being "The last to die in all of London?"...

"Excuse me Sir; but do you have permission to enter?" The doorkeeper said suddenly, pulling Vincent out of his thoughts.

A whisper swept through the crowd and he could hear a woman ask her husband "Who is he talking too? There is no one there."

It appeared that a person dressed in red had paused with one glove-covered hand on the door handle.

They laughed. "I don't need permission~!"

They turned around to flash a grin and Vincent caught sight of sharp menacing teeth and glowing green eyes.

 _..Another reaper? What is this?.._

The red-clad reaper licked their lips. "I have friends to catch up to.. Oh! And next time, please recognize a lady." She- or at least Vincent supposed it probably was a woman now - winked. "Besides, I'll be seeing you all tomorrow morning, won't I?" Giggling, she clicked open the door and left.

Vincent took the moment of the crowd's confusion to run after her, his cape covering his face as held the door open.

He turned to the doorman before leaving. "My apologies sir, it appears that I am to catch up with her as well."

"Hey wait! You can't just-"

..But Vincent was already gone just like the others.

...

Othello watched from the top of one of the castle towers. "It seems that something very interesting has begun.."

"Well of course, if there wouldn't be anything that important happening then why would we be here?" Sascha exclaimed, fingers drumming on the stone in boredom. "How long do we have to wait?"

"Stop asking questions!" Ludger hissed from next to them, at the same time trying to look past the tower into the castle courtyard, where boy, butler, and red reaper, were now walking, a cloaked figure followed them from farther back.

"But what else am I supposed to do?! Why does Grell get to go with them but not us?!" Sascha exclaimed loudly, clearly becoming annoyed.

" Mein Gott, don't talk that loud!" Ludger yells at an equal pitch to Sascha.

Othello sighed.

"Why am I stuck with you two again?"

* * *

 **What are the reapers up to, I wonder?**

 **Since this is taking place in the cannon universe, I am partially using the excuse of "mysterious revivals" to bring cannon dead characters back into the story. But like I said, I'm not just coming up with things on the spot and in fact I actually have up to chapter 16 fully written now.**

 ** _Fact to remember for this chapter: it is stated in the manga that only humans who are going to die soon - or in this case, are already dead - can see grim reapers. (with the exception of the Phantomhives , this being the reason why Vincent knew what they were.) So when you think about the scene with Grell, just try imagining it from the view of someone in the crowd and realize just how funny that would look: the doorkeeper just starts talking to thin air, then the door opens and closes on its own, and then a man in a cloak just runs up and says "I'm with her" and enters too._ Pretty funny, you have to admit!**


	3. Chapter 2

**~Chapter 2~**

 _What Remains Unclear_

 **Note: There's a lot of POV switching throughout the story starting from here**

* * *

"If I remember correctly, you told those people back there the date of their deaths?" Sascha turned to Othello, one eyebrow raised.

"Well of course I did! No one can stop me since I'm not in the collections division and those rules don't apply to me." He smiled like a child trying to play innocent.

"That is not a good reason! No reaper should do such a thing, it is entirely against the rules of death itself!" Sascha hissed.

"Pfff they don't believe it anyway, they called me a weirdo." Othello laughed.

"Well then they were correct at that." Sascha stated, then mumbled something in German that Othello didn't dare to translate.

"Stop that, both of you. William's only orders to us were to watch and wait until further notice and we will do just that. Let Grell do whatever, for she is not a part of this." Ludger told the two.

Sascha glared, but stayed quiet as the trio then glanced down to observe the unusual group in the courtyard below.

...

"Why must you of all people join us?" Ciel mumbled.

Grell huffed. "You are in need of my assistance, believe me. I know I am going against the rules, but since when have I ever followed them?" She shrugged. "Besides, I know nothing about the recent events either and I am quite curious if the 'doll' resembles those on the Campania."

"If that is true, then he has finally decided to show himself again."

"We shall not be sure that he is behind all of this. You can not blame him with no further evidence." Sebastian added.

Ciel thought for a second and looked up. Suddenly, his eyes widened for a moment before narrowing as he caught sight of the three figures on a high tower.

"It seems we are being watched, young master." Sebastian stated, looking up as well.

"Indeed." Ciel agreed. "What do they want?"

"Hm?" Grell followed their gazes, instantly recognizing the three by their outfits despite her bad eyesight. "Oh, those three. They must have been sent by William.. Don't worry, they will not bother us, for they are only here to observe."

"So be it, then. If they do not bother us, then we will let them do their job." Ciel stated, before he turned to face Grell. "Come to think of it, why is it that you chose to help us? Is it not against the rules of the reapers to interfere with the activity of humans, much one accompanied by a demon?"

Grell nodded. "That rule is true, yes. But for the time being, I am no longer a reaper."

Ciel blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, when the dispatch was notified of the recent events, the higher-ups knew how complicated this would be, so they chose only their best reapers to help. Of course, that meant that myself, being the screw-up with a history of disobeying rules and messing up collections had not even been considered as an option." She looked down at her feet, almost sadly. "William came to me the other day to let me know that the higher-ups had decided to strip me of my position and confiscate my death scythe so I would not mess up anything this time because this case was 'super important'. They literally locked me in my office and escaping was quite difficult."

Ciel looked surprised. "But of all things, why would you decide to help me?"

Grell looked up, locking gazes with the young earl.

"Well, when I escaped I realized that I had no where to go, for if they found me in the dispatch then I would surely be thrown in prison for such actions. So, my feet led me here, where I suspected you would come to investigate. I thought that if I presented myself to you weaponless, and vulnerable, then you may believe me when I say that I can be of assistance."

Ciel was about to speak again but Sebastian had chosen that moment to walk up to them with something in his hands.

"I have found something."

The "something" in his hands stirred and looked up at them, letting out a tiny mewl.

"A cat? Where could you possibly have found one? Sebastian! Get it away quickly before my aller- ACHOO!" Ciel sneezed and Grell laughed at the situation.

"But young master, you must admit, it is quite adorable."

"I don't care. Get it away! The suspect could be anywhere around here and my sneezing could give away our position!"

"If they don't first." Grell commented, looking up at the tower again where. Sascha was arguing loudly with Ludger. Othello noticed Ciel and Grell and waved to them.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Do they even know how to do their job as silent observers properly?"

"I would say probably not." Sebastian says, walking back to them after having regretfully let the kitten go.

"Let's ignore them and keep looking. Whoever the killer is must not know that we are here yet or they would have come to us already." Ciel said, turning away from the tower and continuing down the path towards the entrance of the castle.

...

Othello let his hand down and sighed. "They ignored me."

"Well duh." Sascha facepalmed. "They are smart to do that because if they didn't then-"

"Quiet!" Ludger exclaimed suddenly. "Look, Vincent has seen something the others didn't."

They all looked. Sure enough, the cloaked figure that was Vincent Phantomhive looked startled upon seeing something through one of the window-holes in the outer wall. With one final glance at the group crossing the courtyard in almost hesitation, he ran off and disappeared out of view.

"Interesting.." Sascha commented.

Ludger narrowed his eyes. "Forget about him for now. Othello, what were the names of some of the revived?"

No answer.

"Othello?"

He turned around, causing Sascha to look up as well.

Othello was glaring at the corner Vincent had just disappeared around. He showed no emotion whatsoever and looked like an animal watching its prey.

"Hellooooo?" Sascha waved a hand in front of his face.

Othello's expression changed back to normal and he looked at the other two. "Sorry, I just thought I saw something."

It was on the other side of the Thames river, a mile or two outside of London, that a reaper awoke to the smell of flowers.

Out of instinct, he grasped for his glasses and found them laying next to him, putting them on and looking around as his vision adjusted.

He was in a small grassy meadow bordered by rose bushes, a duo of birds soared by and he glanced up at the sound of their calls.

It had to be some sort of illusion, there was no way this was real.

But he just had to be sure...

He stumbled slightly as he stood up, gaining his balance again before he walked up to one of the rose bushes. He carefully reached out and pricked his finger on a single thorn, he felt a sharp prick of pain and hesitantly inspected the small wound.

Alan could only stare at the small bead of blood that began to form.

"I.. I'm alive."

He froze for a moment. How was this possible? If it was an illusion, he would not have been able to inflict a wound.

It was clear that he was in the middle of the countryside and that it would be a very long walk to London, but he knew he had to make it back somehow.

Stumbling over twigs and stones on the uneven ground, Alan decided to start on a path back through the forest. He had no directions to guide him and only the voices of farmers and bird songs were the first thing to let him know that he was travelling in the right direction.

He peeked out from the low-hanging branches of a bush and observed what lie ahead of him. It was mostly farming fields and he figured that crossing them would not be hard at all.

He brushed leaves off his clothing but paused before taking another step.

For it had never dawned on him what he might do when he reached the city. Where would he go? He couldn't just waltz into the dispatch and expect a warm welcome.

Perhaps he could lay low and stay in hiding?

He was a lone reaper crossing the fields of farmland, unnoticed and undisturbed by anyone he passed.

The lone reaper, a ghost to some, wandering the fields of wheat.

Until he could return home.

* * *

 ** _Grell reveals her reasons, the reaper trio has caught on to something, and Vincent has decided to do some investigating on his own._**

 ** _Why has Alan returned and what does this mean?_**


	4. Chapter 3

**~Chapter 3~**

 _Regretful_

* * *

Eric walked silently down the streets of London, paying no mind to the people he passed since they couldn't see him anyway.

He clutched his scythe in one hand, he was lucky enough to have it next to him when he awoke.

The only thing on his mind at the moment was the earl Phantomhive and his butler. The last thing he remembered was being killed by that demon, being forced to bleed to death in misery after failing to save his closest friend. It was Phantomhive's fault, he knew it. If the boy and butler had not been there to stop them, he might have collected enough souls before it was too late.

And Alan wouldn't have-...

Eric had been given a second chance to live, and no matter how much it occurred to him that it was supposed to be impossible, the only thing keeping him going forward was the thought that maybe.. maybe if he killed Ciel Phantomhive.. He could finally bring Alan back...

As he passed an old castle in a crooked street, he became aware of eyes watching him. As silent as this observer was trying to be, it was clear to him that someone had seen him. Perhaps he would allow them the amusement, it would do absolutely no harm since he had the better weapon.

He ignored the presence that had begun to follow him, stopping for a moment to test if the person was going to attack. When nothing happened, he continued walking, set to only find his goal.

None of the people he passed looked like they would have any information to a noble's whereabouts.

It was only then that he came across a large building titled "Funtom Music Hall". Funtom was the name of Phantomhive's company wasn't it? He would find information there.

As he crossed the street, he noticed that the presence of the person following him stayed on the other side, not crossing after him. A smart move on their behalf, so as not to draw attention to themselves.

He was quite desperate, and as Eric approached the music hall, he caught sight of someone hanging posters on the door and walked up to them.

"Um... excuse me, do you know where to find-" Surprisingly, the person cut him off mid sentence .

"I don't work here." They said in a monotone voice.

They could see him? That was never a good sign.

"No, no, I'm sorry. I'm just wondering where Ciel Phantomhive has gone, I'm supposed to talk to him."

Eric hated to lie.

But it was for Alan.

He had to keep reminding himself that.

His fist clenched around the handle of his scythe as the thought crossed his mind again.

The person looked at him oddly, almost as if they were judging him to find out how much information they should give.

"Why do you carry a weapon?" They asked, still tilting their head like a curious animal. Something about the way their long dark hair and cloak shadowed their face in the slightest was extremely unsettling. Moreover, they could see him and they seemed to be deciding weather he was human or not.

"It's just for my job. I work as a... er.." He glanced at the saw. "a carpenter."

The other person eyed him suspiciously, their violet eyes showed that they were still doubting him, but they answered anyway.

"There was word of an attack on the grounds of a castle just west of here. If I know well enough, you will find him there."

The castle he had passed on his way there? Then who was it who followed him, and why?

He smiled at the mysterious person. "Thank you for your help." He held out his hand for the person to shake. "I'm Eric Slingby."

The person just stared at him.

"Gregory Violet." They murmured, turning back around to make more adjustments to the poster.

Eric lowered his hand awkwardly. "Erm.. thanks again!"

He could feel Violet's gaze boring into his back as he turned to leave, that same feeling followed him all the way across and along the street on the other side, only stopping as he turned a corner around the block and out of sight of the music hall. The presence of the person following him before had gone as well.

It seemed like those who could see him were staring into his soul as if they knew his motives. Perhaps he should have gotten some sort of disguise?

Eric was slightly annoyed that he had already passed the castle without knowing where Phantomhive was, it would take him an equally long amount of time to walk back.

...

"We haven't found anything today, perhaps we should return to the mansion." Sebastian stated.

"But-" Ciel began, but Sebastian picked him up and was already holding him like a baby.

"You need to rest, young master. If you could not take the break you wanted to, at least you could cut your work hours."

"Ugh fine." Ciel grumbled. "But put me down first."

"Sorry, this is the fastest way."

Grell and Sebastian laughed at Ciel's disgusted face.

Holding his master tightly, Sebastian leapt onto the wall of the castle with Grell following close behind. Together they sped off through London's rooftops in the direction of the Phantomhive Manor.

The demon took one last moment to glance back, his eyes flashing a menacing bright pink color as he locked eye contact with the reaper trio from a distance.

It was as if to say "Do not dare to follow us."

The message was clear to them, as they were to investigate elsewhere anyways.

...

"Damn." Eric growled under his breath upon seeing that there was no one in the courtyard.

He gripped his scythe and swung it into a nearby wall with such force that the stone crumbled slightly.

"Damn you Phantomhive! I should have known you wouldn't let yourself be found that easily."

He contemplated following the boy to his mansion, but decided otherwise upon remembering the servants. They would only cause more trouble for him.

He would try again the following day, this time however, he will not walk around carelessly. For some people could obviously see him, and it was best that he did not get spotted by the killer who lurks around here, let alone the dispatch-

"Eric Slingby."

Eric spun on his heels, holding his scythe steady in front of him.

There was no one there? But-

A sudden pain shot through his head, and he crumpled to the ground, releasing his grip on his weapon. He could barley catch a glimpse of the person's face before he blacked out.

Was it just the light? He couldn't recognize them at all.

* * *

 _ **Eric is alive too! But he believes that Alan is still dead and is only set on revenge. Will the two ever find each other again?**_

 _ **Who was it that knocked him out?**_

 _ **And of course, Ciel can not be hunted down quite so easily. . .**_

 **Headcannon of mine that Gregory Violet can actually see grim reapers. Certain humans like Ciel have the ability to see things not normally noticed by the average human and this is normally due to their lineage. Reapers can also reveal themselves to certain individuals if necessary, like Ronald did during the Campania Arc.**

 **(After Blavat's arrest, the former S4 still hang around the Funtom Music Hall after the Sphere Music Hall went out of business. Violet was merely fixing a crooked advertising poster that bothered him.)**


	5. Chapter 4

**~ Chapter 4 ~**

 _Trust no one_

* * *

"Everyone move aside! What happened here?"  
It was early morning the next day, an even larger crowd of people had gathered than the previous day. The reason why was the four bodies that lay on the cement in front of the main entrance to the castle.  
The ones pushing their way to the front were once again Ciel and his butler Sebastian. This time however, the crowd parted to let them through without hesitation. Sebastian stepped forward to examine the bodies and stood up after a moment to lean down and whisper something in his master's ear.  
Ciel nodded and turned to the crowd. "Please leave now, you have nothing to see here."  
A loud chatter rose up by the people who began to slowly move away and direct off into the streets. When the crowd was almost entirely gone, Ciel turned back to Sebastian.  
"So they were stabbed multiple times in the heart?"  
Sebastian nodded. "A curious way of killing indeed. I regret to say this, but I do wish that Grell was here because I would like to know if she can identify their cinematic records."  
"You can't find traces of any?"  
"None at all."  
"Strange. Perhaps they were already reaped." Ciel suddenly caught eye of something among the bodies, he leaned down a bit to look closer. "Sebastian." He said, "Could you move this one's arm out of the way."  
"Of course." Sebastian knelt down and moved the limb of the closest body to the side, picking up the item that was slightly beneath it.  
"It appears to be club of sorts, young master." He inspected the blunt wooden weapon.  
"But what was it doing underneath the bodies?"  
"One of the men must have used it to defend himself. There is no evidence of a struggle however."  
Ciel furrowed his brows, it was confusing to say the least.  
"Let us advance farther, we could find something inside the castle. Sebastian." He turned to his butler again. "Move the bodies somewhere hidden, we will take them to Sieglinde when we are finished. She might be able to identify the cause of death."  
"Yes, my lord."

...

Birds twittering again.  
Alan sat up slightly, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. He had decided to rest against a tree for the night, it was very dark when he stumbled upon the area so his location would come as a surprise.  
He put his glasses back on, adjusting them ever so slightly as his vision cleared and he looked up.  
He was leaning against a tree behind a small, wooden structure. Oh sure, "sleepy and tired Alan" would choose to sleep against a tree instead of taking shelter in the building right next to it. Great choice.  
But his curiosity was getting the best of him and he needed to know what it was and if there was anything he could use inside.  
The lock was slightly open already and that made him nervous, what if there was someone - or something - already inside?  
He grasped the latch and carefully pushed the door open. He was hit with the sudden smell of farm animals and the snort of an animal made him jump before he turned around and made eye contact with a horse.  
Oh. If this was a horse stable, then there was definitely a property of sorts nearby. The hay scattering the floor piled up at the edges of the wooden walls that separated the horse stables, the only thing he could see was a single horse and he looked up in hope of finding a second leveling to the stables. Thankfully, the rafters seemed to be filled with old junk and he could maybe find a weapon plus some food. It looked like it was spacious and strong enough to support a person.  
Swiftly albeit carefully, Alan climbed up to the low wooden beams, letting his balance stabilize for a moment before deeming it safe enough to walk on.  
The roof area was a bit more dimly lit, and as he looked around his gaze caught on to a large shape in the corner.  
As he got closer, he noticed it was a fabric-like material that seemed to be covering something. It looked pretty old but-  
Oh...  
There was the steady sound of breathing coming from the cover of patched fabric.  
Could it be an animal? A poor man seeking shelter?  
He contemplated weather it was worth it to check it out. If it was a person, they probably wouldn't see him and would just end up confused, then he could chase them out by acting like a ghost or robber.  
Alan couldn't help but to slightly laugh out loud at that thought. Unfortunately he only realized his mistake once the person - Yes it was definitely a person - brushed the fabric off and sat up.  
They looked around in alarm, clearly afraid. Their gaze then landed on Alan, who was sitting there watching them convinced that he could not be seen.  
"You're a reaper." They stated matter-of-fact-ly.  
Alan leaped backward slightly "Wh-"  
"Are you here for my soul?" They demanded. "Well look here, I just came back from being dead and I'm not going back! I didn't even know resurrection was possible, by the way how is that possible?" They talked tilted their head slightly.  
"I... erm." Alan tried his best to take in the features of this person in the dim light. Their hair seemed to give off a dark grayish sheen, kind of like..  
"Wait.. You-"  
"I'm not going down without a fight if that's what you mean!" They exclaimed. "See! I have-... I have..." They looked around frantically before picking up an old metal screw from where it had fallen out from the wood, and pointing it at the reaper in front of him. "A screw! Yes, I have a screw and I'm not afraid to use it!"  
Alan stared blankly at the object they were holding and then raised his hands in mock defeat, smiling slightly.  
"You got me. I don't have a scythe."  
The other person raised an eyebrow, still not lowering his hold on the screw. Weather he actually thought it would protect him or if he was just doing it to add amusement to the situation, Alan could never know.  
"How can you loose a death scythe?" They asked, skeptical.  
"Well first, I'm pretty sure I died by my own death scythe and then next thing I know I'm waking up somewhere in the countryside.  
"Now, really? I burnt to death and woke up in a church."  
"Oh." Was all Alan could say to that. The tone of this person's voice convinced him that they were being truthful. Then he shook his head and looked them straight in the eye. "Okay, first of all, put the screw down. Second of all, who are you?"  
The man put the object down finally and leaned father into the light, giving Alan a full glance at their face.  
"My name is Vincent Phantomhive."  
...What?!  
No. That's not possible, what were the chances of them meeting?  
Vincent's expression turned to confusion as Alan jumped back in shock. His expression must have been that of a startled deer, because Vincent actually felt sorry for the reaper.  
"Are you okay?" He asked.  
"Oh, yes. I'm sorry, it's just that- you startled me. It's not your fault, you and your son look alike but your personalities seem entirely different." Alan looked down. "You see, Ciel he-... He's the one who killed me." _And Eric.._  
Vincent blinked. Ciel had managed to kill a reaper? "He couldn't do that without help, surely. Help that is equally inhuman.." Then his eyes darkened as he came to a realization. "That butler of his.. Is he..?"  
"Yes." Alan nodded grimly. "That man is a demon. Ciel signed a contract with the devil, though I don't know the reason why."  
"The Phantomhive family has worked alongside the reapers for generations. I don't understand why Ciel would suddenly.-" Vincent trailed off, stopping himself before he said more. They can't trust each other with certain information, can they?  
Alan chose to ignore the sudden cut-off. Vincent was right, they had just met and giving off such details would not be smart.  
Vincent seemed to reach a decision what information was okay to tell before speaking carefully. "On a change of topic, i saw another reaper the day before and he looked quite lost. I was wondering if they were someone you knew." Vincent left out the pert about the red-haired reaper and the trio in the tower, they were clearly there for their own private reasons and Vincent knew it would cause trouble to mention this to someone who had just come back and had no idea what was happening like himself.  
"What did they look like?" Alan asked him, curious now.  
"I don't know, he was rather tall with a strange hairstyle, he carried around a saw.. I think it was his scythe-"  
"Wait!"  
Vincent raised an eyebrow.  
Alan's eyes grew wider every second. "Blond side-swept hair with brown cornrows on the other side, saw for a death scythe, tinted glasses?"  
"Yes. Im pretty sure that's what he looked like." Vincent shrugged, only to be nearly knocked off the rafters by Alan.  
"That's my partner Eric! If- he's here too then..." Alan trailed off, then shook his head and grinned again. "Where did you see him?!"  
Vincent was taken aback slightly at how jumpy the reaper seemed at the mention of his partner. They must have been close friends.  
"Unfortunately I never saw where he went. He stopped by a large building to ask directions but I couldn't hear a thing, then he turned back around and started going in the way he came. I lost track after that and decided to find a place to stay for the night."  
"I guess we know where to go then. Since Eric died with me, he also shouldn't be alive right now-"  
"-Which means we must find him quickly because there has to be someone behind this and he might know who." Vincent finished.  
"Exactly! I only hope were not too late." Alan nodded.  
"So it is settled, we will work together to find your friend and then we will discover why we have been brought back to life." Vincent's gaze narrowed. "Do not think this permanent though, putting trust in each other without even knowing much about the other person can be dangerous."  
"Agreed, but first you need a better disguise. No one can see me, but that cloak you have is stooping pretty low."  
Vincent laughed. "It was all I had! Fine, we will look for something first."  
They shook hands.  
Vincent hopped down from the rafters, grabbed a saddle and a pair of reins and began unlock the stall with the single horse in it.  
"What are you doing?" Alan looked at him in confusion.  
"We're a bit far from the city, and it was tiring enough for me to walk here yesterday. You can do whatever you want, but remember that I'm human!"  
"Suit yourself. Oh, and by the way,"  
Vincent mounted the horse and Alan followed him out of the stable.  
"I never introduced myself, I'm Alan Humphries."  
"Nice to meet you Alan."  
"Also, you forgot your cape."  
Vincent sighed. At this rate, it would be a while before they even reached the road to London.

...

The pencil tip had cracked again due to the way it was being dragged roughly across the paper.  
"Maybe you should switch to pen.." The voice of another person commented from the doorway of the office.  
"I do not have the time for your remarks, Knox. Leave me be."  
"Alright, sorry." Heavy sarcasm, rolled eyes, but the owner of the voice had still quickly left.  
William placed his head in his hands with an exaggerated sigh.  
He glanced across the desk at the empty paperless spot where the daily report was supposed to be.  
"I was such an idiot to even think of giving the job to those three, this is serious and yet they left their post to go purchase food at a restaurant of all things." He glanced at his scythe leaning against the wall, then at the desk, then his scythe and back again, and then to his scythe.  
Another sigh.  
"Ronald Knox! Come back here!" He yelled.  
Ronald came skipping back into the room with a knowing grin.  
"Since you are, unfortunately, the only other person left in the dispatch capable, you will be joining me."  
"I finally get to be a part of this!?" Ronald exclaimed, his voice heavy with sarcasm and fake surprise.  
"Yes. Now hold my scythe." William grabbed the pruner and tossed it to the other reaper whose grin faded from his face.  
"Wait wha..."  
"You will take notes and hold our supplies unless I say otherwise."  
"But-"  
"What?!" William snapped.  
".. nothing.."  
"That is what I thought."  
"..Just wonderful." Ronald mumbled sarcastically as they left to the human world.

"Fine, I will carry my notebook."  
"But Will, you don't have a noteboo-"  
"Exactly."

* * *

 _ **The most unlikely duo has decided to work together, why? They have one thing in common, they must find out why they were returned to life. They are taking the risk to trust one-another.**_

 _ **Meanwhile, William realizes his mistake in letting two reapers from the German dispatch and a forensics scientist take care of all the work. Poor Ronald has to take Grell's usual place in this situation.**_

 _ **The red-haired reaper herself has left Ciel and Sebastian to their own business once more, can she really be reliable?**_

 _ **What happened to Eric?**_

 **A/N**

 **Eeep, I missed a week! School was just ending for me and I was super busy but now I have all summer so I'm free to do whatever I want. On another note, Book of the Atlantic is coming to theaters in America next week! We'll be driving several hours to the nearest city to see it because I'm just that type of fan XD**

 **Extra: Any thoughts on the crime scene they investigated? I'd love to know if anyone has any theories based on the clues given at the beginning!**


	6. Chapter 5

**~Chapter 5~**

 _Friend or Foe?_

* * *

It had been an hour already and they had still found nothing. Ciel had begun to consider that the killer had left when Sebastian stopped suddenly and held out an arm to stop him in his tracks.  
Farther ahead of them down the narrow hall stood a figure, they were dressed in tattered dark clothes and held a knife blade that gleamed ever so slightly.  
The person stepped out of the shadows and they could finally see their face clearly. Ciel clenched his fists, his eyes widening in shock.  
 _Why?_  
Of all people he had expected...  
The phantom was-

...

Vincent adjusted the large hat so that it hung over his face, but not too much as to not obscure his vision. The two had finally reached the city, it was about the middle of the day now and Vincent had chose to wear a large top hat that shadowed his face in the slightest, making him hard to recognize. He also kept his hair pulled back underneath the hat, so as not to draw attention to his obvious appearance _**(A/N: think of Undertaker's headmaster disguise from the Public School arc)**_. Alan had borrowed the cape and was using it as a makeshift cover for himself. The two had also changed their main outfits to something more middle-class and simple.  
"Tell me why we had to leave the horse behind again?" Vincent whispered.  
"Don't talk. We're on a busy street and you look weird whispering to nobody." Alan said back.  
"Right." Vincent sighed. "Where are we headed now?"  
"What did I just say?" Alan hissed at him.  
"Perhaps that market ahead of us would be of use."  
"Are you even listening to me?"  
"I wonder if they serve food."  
"Fine, fine ignore me." Alan mumbled.  
"Are you following?" Vincent's voice came from behind him.  
Alan turned to see the man waiting for him a few feet back at the start of a street market. He hadn't noticed that market when they walked by. So Vincent wasn't ignoring him?  
He blinked in surprise as he walked over to join Vincent.  
They were only about halfway in the direction toward the food when an all-too-familiar voice rang out, causing Alan to jump in alarm.  
"What do you mean, it's gone up in price?! It was 50,000 an hour ago!" The familiar red clad reaper was arguing with a merchant.  
"Miss, have you tried bargaining with our competitors? Please? I'd rather not get in trouble"  
"Damn right I will! And they'll get more business from me! I'll offer only one more time, 50,000 and final."  
"55,000."  
"Fine then, I'm finished here."  
Grell turned around and strode away from the jewelry booth. Her bright green eyes were glowing like they tended to when she was mad. It seemed like she had made herself visible to the normal eye so she could go shopping in the market. Though what she was doing there was beyond his knowledge.  
"Reaper?" Vincent whispered more skillfully this time, without moving his lips much.  
Alan nodded.  
"I'm guessing by your reaction earlier that you know her."  
"I do, but I have no idea why she's here. Even though she is a friend of mine, she is also part of the collections division and could easily turn us in if she saw us."  
"Too late." Vincent spoke normally this time.  
Alan followed his gaze. When the crowd of people cleared again, they could see Grell standing still as a frozen statue farther down the street. Her eyes were wide and unblinking and her expression unreadable.  
Within the blink of an eye and a blur of red, Grell sped across the street, grabbed Alan and Vincent by the back of their shirts, and ported the three of them into the back of an alleyway somewhere nearby.  
They were thrown against the wall and Alan found himself staring up at Grell. She stood with her arms crossed and a glare that could kill.  
"Explain."  
"I er... um.." Alan couldn't think of what to say and Vincent stayed stubbornly quiet, Alan was pretty sure the former noble was waiting for the two reapers to begin discussing things that he could use to his advantage.  
"I'm kidding!" Grell smiled widely. "Alan, it's so nice to see you!" She rushed forward and captured him in a suffocating hug.  
"Nice to see you too Grell, but how can you be so sure that it's me?" Alan gasped out once she had released him.  
Vincent leaned in closer to their conversation but Grell grabbed Alan by the shoulders and turned them around so they faced the opposite way.  
"Alan, dear, no human has your eye color. Besides, we have known about the resurrections for quite some time." She lowered her voice. "The dispatch has never seen anything like it. We've dubbed these random occurrences the. "Revivals". This is new though, to see a reaper like you brought back to life. That must mean that anyone and anything can return from the dead."  
"You're right. How far back in time do the revivals go? We don't want prehistoric beasts suddenly rising up on us."  
"That isn't possible, they've been dead too long. The oldest Revival discovered in the area was 300 years ago. Poor thing was so lost she'd gotten herself killed again almost instantly. I'm more worried about demons and other hellish predators."  
They were silent for a moment, then Vincent called out from behind them.  
"If you're a reaper, what are you doing here anyways?"  
"Oh!" Grell looked at him in surprise. Vincent had taken off his hat and let his hair fall down his face again. He was sitting against the wall with his arms crossed, watching them with a raised eyebrow.  
"You must be the Phantomhive brat's father! I'm Grell Sutcliff. As for the answer to your question, I was temporarily kicked out of the dispatch because they didn't want me around to mess things up. I'm betraying my own kind and working with Sebastian~" She waggled her eyebrows.  
"The boy's demon butler?" Alan asked blankly.  
"Yep!" Grell was smirking now.  
"Forgive me for asking-" Vincent stood with a huff, placing the hat on his head without bothering to style his hair this time. "but.. Why does every person seem to refer to my son negatively? The Ciel I knew was way different than the killer everyone says he is."  
Immediately, Alan looked down at his feet and Grell grit her teeth.  
"Don't bring that up here." Grell leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You see, Ciel was the reason Alan and his partner died."  
Vincent's mood dropped quite suddenly. "Oh. I apologize for his actions, I'm extremely sorry.."  
Unfortunately, Alan heard them and spoke up.  
"It wasn't Phantomhive's fault at all, Grell."  
"But-"  
"You know I was dying anyways, I would have been fine dying peacefully but Eric wanted to save me. Ciel found out about him killing people and went after him, but when they finally found us, Eric only needed one more soul and he went after Ciel. I'm the one who jumped in front of his scythe, I got myself killed. If I know Eric, he must have pleaded for them to end his life for mine. It wasn't Ciel's fault at all, it was Eric's."  
Now, neither of the other two knew what to say and a moment of silence ensued.  
Grell decided to change the subject. "Soooo... What were you two doing in the market with a bunch of beginner level disguises?"  
Alan perked up. "Actually, we were looking for-"  
"-Food. We were looking for a place to purchase food." Vincent finished with a smile. Alan mentally punched him, he had been about to say 'looking for Eric'.  
...Food is an okay option too I guess.  
"Street food?" Grell grimaced. "No dears, you absolutely must find a restaurant."  
"We don't have enough money to eat fancy." Alan said.  
"Well why don't I treat you then?" Grell gave them a wide smile. "There's this lovely place I found that's off to the side from the main street. Wonderful service!"  
"What about the food?"  
"Oh the food is fine, but the SERVICE! They hire the hottest guys!" Grell was practically drooling.  
"I am much to hungry to care." Vincent rolled his eyes and Alan shrugged.  
Grell clapped her hands together. "Great! Let's set off!"  
"Alright then." Vincent started walking but Grell grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him back.  
She shook her head. "Buuuut.. Not before I get you two better disguises. You are NOT walking into a fancy restaurant looking like commoners."  
"If it means I can get something edible."  
Another shrug from Alan.

...

Eric squinted his eyes against the bright light that poured in from a single cross-barred window on the wall. He stood up slowly, trying his best to ignore the painful headache that threatened to take over. Looking around, he swore under his breath.  
It seems he had been abducted and was being held a jail cell of some sort. The ceiling was terribly high and so was the room's window, meaning he could not see outside. His scythe had obviously been confiscated, he would need to find it later. Strangely, the door to the room was wide open. Either his captor was extremely bad at their job, or Eric was allowed to wander the building.  
He hoped it was the latter as he quickly but cautiously set off through the doorway and down the long hallway on the other side. To the left was mostly lower windows that let in light and he could finally see outside.  
Looking straight out, all he could see was gray-blue sky. Below, the leaf covered branches of a tree rested against the glass, the trunk of the tree could only be visible for so long before it faded into white. It took a while until he soon realized that he was looking down at a foggy haze. Or were those clouds?  
The fact that he couldn't see the ground was disturbing. There was a tree, so he was defiantly on land, but he could be anywhere. It could be an island at sea, the top of a mountain, the middle of the city, there was no way of knowing and if he didn't know where he was, he couldn't risk leaving the building.  
Damn, so his captor did know what they were doing.  
That brought him to another thought; The person who knocked him out knew his name even though he didn't recognize them.  
 _Who was-_  
"Why can't you stay unconscious a little longer?" It was the same voice from before and Eric was hit over the head with something again. This guy really pissed him off.  
He was getting revenge when he woke up again.

* * *

 _ **Has the killer already revealed themselves to Ciel and Sebastian?**_  
 _ **If that's so, then who is holding Eric prisoner?**_

 _ **Meanwhile, Alan is reunited with a fellow reaper and said reaper must explain the recent events over dinner.**_  
 _ **Vincent? Vincent just wants food.**_

 **I owe an apology! I have been extremely busy. I went to Japan for a couple weeks and I found some great anime stores! (I have so much BB merchandise now)**  
 **But that's not really the main reason. Remember how I said I was trying to keep this story cannon? Well, if you've read chapter 129 you'll know about the huge plot twist. I got stuck trying to figure out how to work it into the story. Thankfully, I was able to figure it out and I only changed one tiny barley noticeable thing, you'll find out what that thing is way later in the story.**  
 **This is a longer chapter to make up for it. Because i didn't realize how busy I would be, updates from now on will be every other week and probably mostly on a weekend.**  
 **I really hope it's not too confusing to have so much happening in the story at the same time.**  
 **Oh, and thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome!**


End file.
